IT can help cut traffic accidents by half

Information Technology (IT) applications can help reduce traffic
accidents by half and considerably ease traffic flow, a leading figure
in the IT industry says.

Truong Gia Binh, President of the
Vietnam Software and IT Services Association, said major issues such as
speeding, identifying accident hotspots and driving for extended periods
of time can be dealt with more effectively by IT applications.

He
said up to 75 percent of accidents took place when vehicles were
speeding, so stricter law enforcement and advanced surveillance
equipments can help ensure that drivers stay within speed limits.

Other
factors that contribute to the high rate of accidents in the country,
including the lack of warning signs and poor road conditions also need
to be addressed to eliminate accidents, he said.

He noted that the camera installed on the Hanoi-Phap Van-Cau Gie Highway has recorded over 50,000 violations of the speed limit.

"It's
important for drivers to understand that if they break the law, they
will be strictly punished. Just by following traffic rules, we can avoid
many unnecessary accidents," he said.

At a recent workshop on
traffic safety, the Transport Ministry had approved an IT application
project using the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) form of investment.

Transport
Minister Dinh La Thang, also Deputy Chairman of the National Traffic
Safety Committee, had called for innovative ideas and the use of
technology to improve traffic safety in the country. He called on all
concerned agencies to study how this can be done in 2015 and coming
years.-VNA